The Yankees have traded Chase Headley and Bryan Mitchell to the Padres for Jabari Blash. In the real baseball world, this move is just a salary-dump trade, which creates a ton of questions and no answers.
Headley moves to the Padres, who had Yangervis Solarte and Cory Spangenberg as options at third base. Solarte will likely move to short and Spangenberg to second. While the infield may stay this way, I see one or more of these guys on the move later this offseason. Future moves may help to clarify the Padres’ plans.
As for Headley, his value drops by going to a worse offensive team in a pitcher-friendly park. Part of the decline could be offset by a move up in the lineup since he mainly batted seventh for the Yankees last season. He’s a .250 hitter with 15-HR pop and a handful of steals. He’s useful in only the deepest of leagues.
The other players on the move aren’t fantasy relevant. In 98 major league innings, Mitchell has a 4.94 ERA with a 5.9 K/9 rate. He does throw hard (96 mph), so maybe the Padres hope to fix him. Blash, a 27-year-old rookie last season, has power, but he batted just .213 partly because of a 34% K%. His projections don’t look any better.
The other main question is what the Yankees do at third base. They have Ronald Torreyes and Miguel Andujar to hold down the position with top prospect Gleyber Torres as a future option. As with the Padres, I’m sure the Yankees aren’t done making moves, so the team will continue to evolve this offseason.
Previous Hot Stove Analysis
Giancarlo Stanton Joins Yankees
Welington Castillo Inks Deal with White Sox
Potential Closers Traded: Boxberger and Johnson